Postponement of Presidential Elections in Senegal

Senegalese President Macky Sall announced today, Saturday, the postponement of the presidential elections originally scheduled for February 25, stating in a televised address that he has canceled the electoral law due to disagreements regarding the electoral process. Sall mentioned, "These turbulent conditions could seriously undermine the credibility of the voting process by sowing the seeds of discord before and after the elections." He added that the postponement of the elections would not affect his decision not to run for a third presidential term. The president did not specify a new date for the elections but revealed that a national dialogue would be conducted to ensure that the elections are free, fair, and transparent. This unprecedented move came about three weeks before the elections following a formal request for postponement from the Senegalese Democratic Party, the opposition party, after its candidate was disqualified from running in January. The decision made by the Constitutional Council to exclude prominent competitors such as Karim Wade, leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party, and opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, has led to increased discontent in recent times. The excluded candidates argue that the candidacy rules were not applied fairly, while the authorities deny this.